


The Water Won't Take You

by LetsGoBeTheGoodGuys



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Drowning, Panic Attacks, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-06-28 09:47:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19809766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LetsGoBeTheGoodGuys/pseuds/LetsGoBeTheGoodGuys
Summary: Set very early seasons - probably season one. Sam almost drowns on a case, leaving him traumatized. Dean is there to help him through it.





	1. Chapter 1

Dean sighed as the vamp they were hunting took off through the trees. He hated running. Sam was already going full-speed after the monster so Dean followed before they could get out of his sight. He registered that the vampire was running towards the nearby lake. If Dean ended up getting wet with stinky lake water, he was going to be ticked.

This case had already been weird. There was no nest - just this one vampire. But Dean didn’t want to waste any of his energy thinking about why this random monster in Nowhere, Indiana was choosing to be alone. It wasn’t worth the effort to analyze the kind of creatures that would live in creepy, abandoned cabins in the middle of nowhere. Of course, Sam would disagree.

A few hours ago, they had rescued the girl whose blood the vamp had been draining for the past several weeks. All that was left was to gank the frickin’ thing.

Embarrassingly far ahead of him, Dean saw Sam veer to the right and break out of the trees after the vampire. Dean hurried to follow. He readjusted his grip on the machete he was carrying. Already the running was starting to wind Dean, the hamburger he’d eaten earlier sitting heavy in his stomach.

In the direction Sam had gone, Dean could hear splashing. He groaned. _Great. The lake._

It took Dean a couple of minutes before he crashed through the tree line. He hurriedly scanned the area in front of him. He couldn’t see Sam. The machete Sam had been carrying was on the ground at the edge of the body of water. The vampire was kneeling a couple of feet into the lake where the water was still fairly shallow. He was bent forward with his hands in the lake. Almost as if he was holding something down. The water was splashing underneath him sporadically.

_Sam_.

With a yell, Dean rushed forward. The vampire looked at him, a flash of fear crossing his features as he stood to face Dean. The water underneath him was becoming disturbingly still.

Dean didn’t slow down at all as he reached the lake. He barreled forward, holding his machete in both hands, brandishing it over his shoulder. The vampire only managed a couple of clumsy steps backward before Dean reached him. He swung. The vampire’s head splashed into the water, the rest of his body following a second later.

Dean didn’t even wait for the body to fall before he flung his machete aside, dropped to his knees, and reached frantically into the water right where the vampire had been standing. He immediately felt Sam’s body underneath his hands. He grabbed at Sam’s jacket and pulled. Sam came easily. He was conscious. _Thank God._

Sam’s head broke the surface of the water and he took in a long, loud breath.

“I gotcha. I gotcha,” Dean said. He stood behind Sam and wrapped his arms around him. Dean hooked his arms underneath his brother’s and began to pull. “Keep breathing. There ya go.”

Dean dragged Sam all the way out of the water and then loosened his arms, lowering Sam on the grass. They were both breathing heavily.

Sam sat up as he started coughing violently, choking up unsettling amounts of dirty water onto the ground.

Dean knelt down and patted Sam’s back solidly until the choking slowed and Sam began to take deep breaths again. Dean found himself rubbing small circles into Sam’s back as the kid struggled to catch his breath, his other hand gripping Sam’s arm to steady him.

“It’s okay. You’re alright, Sammy.”

Sam reached a hand out and gripped Dean’s shirt, right over his chest. He dug his fingers into the material and didn’t let go as he sucked in long gulps of air. Dean frowned. Sam must have been really panicked. He was rarely as desperate for contact as Dean was after a scare like that. How long had he been unable to breathe? Dean had the ridiculous urge to kill that vampire for a second time.

Dean didn’t know how long they sat that way, but he didn’t stop moving his hand in soothing patterns across Sam’s back until Sam slowly unfurled his fingers from Dean’s shirt.

“Thanks, Dean,” Sam said, glancing from Dean’s hand on his arm up to Dean’s face. His voice sounded a little sheepish. Dean smiled at Sam as he stood. Then he reached out a hand and pulled Sam to his feet.

“Let’s head back to the hotel so you can get cleaned up,” Dean said. “You smell like fish crap.”

“Oh, because you’re such a delight right now,” Sam said.

Dean shoved Sam’s arm as they walked side-by-side back to the Impala after retrieving their machetes. Unconsciously, he let his body relax, releasing the tension he hadn’t realized he was still holding. Sam was clearly going to be okay. That meant Dean would be okay too.

When they made it back to the hotel, Dean changed into clean clothes so he could run out for food while Sam showered.

Before he walked out the door, Dean looked at Sam carefully, checking for anything off after his near-drowning at the lake.

Sam noticed Dean’s gaze on him. “Stop it, Dean. I’m fine, okay?”

Dean snorted, pulling open the hotel room door. “I’m not worried. I was just thinking our neighbors are gonna complain about the smell if you don’t burn those clothes.” Dean had to slam the door in a hurry to avoid the still-damp jacket Sam had taken off and thrown at him.


	2. Chapter 2

Sam sighed as the hot water of the shower ran over his aching body. The heat felt heavenly. The lake water had been so cold. Sam had felt like he was drowning in ice. It tore at him, ripping into his skin and stealing away his breath. The memory of being pinned down in the water sparked panic in the pit of Sam’s stomach.

Then he was gasping. _Water_. It was covering him. Drowning him. He couldn’t breathe. Where was Dean? Sam was drowning. He couldn’t move.

 _No. Not drowning_. Just the shower.

Sam reached a hand out and clumsily turned off the faucet. The stream of water stopped. But it was still running over Sam’s body, covering him. Sam was gasping.

He stepped out of the shower but didn’t touch his towel.

On auto-pilot, Sam slid on the clean boxers and jeans he had brought into the bathroom with him. He barely registered the way the material dragged against his wet skin. He struggled to catch his breath. Why was his chest so tight? He noticed how much his hands were shaking as he picked up his hoodie off the floor and slid it on over his head, effectively matting his wet hair down onto his forehead and over his ears. Sam felt claustrophobic. He needed to go to his brother. Dean would know how to help. Sam opened the bathroom door and shivered at the feeling of the air-conditioned room after his steamy shower. But then his shivering didn’t stop. What was happening to him?

Where was Dean? Panic gripped Sam again. Where was his brother? Sam couldn’t remember when he had last seen Dean, he couldn’t focus. Had it been hours? Or days? He was alone. But he couldn’t remember why.

His bare feet felt cold. He was on the kitchen tile. When had he left the shower? He couldn’t breathe. Where was Dean?

Sam lowered himself to the floor and pulled his knees to his chest. He needed to catch his breath. His teeth were chattering a little. Cool water dripped from his bangs and ran down his face. He was underwater. He was drowning. He couldn’t move. Where was Dean?


	3. Chapter 3

Dean knew something was wrong the second he opened the door to their hotel room. The bathroom door was open, but the light was still on. Sam wasn’t anywhere Dean could see.

“Sam?” Dean set the takeout bag he was holding on the bedside table. He rounded the corner of the counter that separated the bedroom from the little kitchenette. That’s when he saw Sam.

Dean dropped to his knees so fast that he knew he would find bruises on them later. He gripped Sam’s shoulders tightly. Sam was shaking violently. He was breathing quickly. Too quickly. Short, fast breaths. Something inside Dean’s gut twisted in an all-too-familiar panic. Something was wrong. Really wrong.

“Sammy? Sammy, what’s happening?” Dean was moving his hands frantically. Up and down Sam’s arms. Pushing back Sam’s hair, still damp from the shower, moist curls sticking to his forehead. Dean dragged a thumb across Sam’s jaw, holding the back of his neck. “You have to take a deep breath. C'mon. Can you do that for me? Deep breath. Sam, please.” Dean swallowed back the desperation rising in his voice. Sam needed him to be calm. Dean tried to think rationally. It didn’t seem like he was having a seizure. Sam’s body wasn’t rigid and his eyes weren’t vacant. But they weren’t exactly focused. He wouldn’t look directly at Dean. His eyes were wide. He looked terrified.

“Sam, can you say something to me? Just tell me what’s going on. What can I do?”

“Dean.” It mostly sounded like a gasp, but Dean definitely recognized his name slipping softly from his little brother’s lips.

Dean sighed in relief. The near-whisper of his name reminded Dean of a tiny Sam waking him up in the middle of the night. _“Dean. I have a tummy ache.”_

Repeating what he had done all those years ago for that still-pudgy Sammy, Dean let one hand slip down to quickly squeeze his brother’s fingers in reassurance. “Yeah, that’s right. I’m here.” Dean was sure now - Sam was having a panic attack. Dean needed to get him talking. “We’re safe. You’re safe. Can you tell me where you are?”

Sam finally looked at Dean. An ache settled in Dean’s heart at the fear in Sam’s eyes. “Indiana,” Sam said. He finally took in a deeper breath. The breath rattled into him on a shudder, his lip trembling.

“Good. That’s right. We finished that vamp hunt. This is supposed to be our night off now. That means relaxing, Sammy. You don’t seem to understand the concept.”

Sam didn’t acknowledge Dean’s comment. He dropped his chin to his chest. “The water, Dean,” he said. His voice was still weak. But at least he was talking. His trembling had slowed under Dean’s hands, though he still shook slightly. “I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t-”

_Of course_. Without a thought, Dean slid around beside Sam and wrapped his arms tightly around his brother’s torso. He was mimicking the way he had pulled Sam out of the water, one arm tucked under Sam’s arms. He placed his other hand solidly against the side of Sam’s head, letting his fingers rest in Sam’s hair. He wanted to be as solid as possible for his scared little brother.

“I got you outta there, Sam. See? Nothing can hurt you. A little water’s got nothing on me.”

Sam slumped, his head landing against Dean’s chest. Dean was very aware of his own heartbeat, beating too quickly against Sam’s messy hair. He wondered how long to let this unusual moment of vulnerability last before helping Sam to his feet. He knew Sam would normally be embarrassed by this much physical contact between them. Sam seemed much more relaxed now but Dean decided to let the moment last a few seconds longer anyway.

Finally, keeping his voice soft, Dean said, “You good, Sammy?”

He felt Sam nod his head in response. Dean allowed himself one more drag of his hand over Sam’s hair before carefully picking himself up off the floor.

Before Dean could help him, Sam stood to his feet. When Dean looked at him, he seemed almost ashamed.

“Sorry, Dean,” Sam said. He shifted his gaze to the floor.

Dean sighed. “You scared the crap outta me, man. But everything’s fine now. Right?”

Sam looked back up at Dean. He nodded. “Right.”

Dean stepped around to grab the takeout bag off the table where he had left it. “Unless my food got cold because of you. Then I’m gonna have to kill you.”

A tiny smile appeared on Sam’s face, making some of the worry lift from Dean’s mind. “I doubt that being cold is really gonna lower the quality of that food,” Sam said.

“Oh, excuse me, princess,” Dean said. “Guess I’ll eat the burrito I got for you.”

Sam snatched the bag away from Dean and pulled out his burrito as he sat at the kitchen table. Dean grabbed a couple of beers out of the fridge and sat across from him. Sam pushed the bag with the rest of the food across the table.

Dean dug out his own food quickly and tore into it without missing a beat.

He noticed Sam watching him with an expression of both amusement and disgust.

“Don’t judge me, Sammy. I worked hard today.”

Sam rolled his eyes and took a bite of his own meal. He seemed completely back to normal. Sam’s reactions had always confused Dean. Sometimes he would recover from something quickly and other times he could never quite seem to shake his trauma.

Dean wondered idly if this one would last. Was Dean gonna have to coax Sam back into the water at some point?

Dean chuckled as Sam accidentally dripped some hot sauce from his burrito into his lap. He cursed and swiped it up with his finger, pouting as he wiped it off onto a napkin.

Well, whatever this ended up being for Sam, Dean would help him through it. As long as they were together, everything would work out.


End file.
